Metal badge



Aug. 1950 F. A. MGDERMOTT 2,517,009

METAL BADGE Filed .May 15, 1948 llllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll I N V EN TOR. fiaizaisfllfisrma Patented Aug. 1, 1950 METAL BADGE Francis A. McDermott, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Bastian Bros. 00., Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 13, 1948, Serial No. 26,894

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a metal badge. and has for its purpose to afford a simple and practical construction designed to accommodate a plurality of identifications panels which are removably positionable on the badge and securely held in place by a structure that permits instant removal and substitution of other panels when it becomes necessary to change the identifications.

Badges employed by workmen in factories frequently carry two identifications or numbers, one to indicate the workers number and the other to indicate the department to which he is assigned, and as these identifications or numbers must occasionally be changed as the worker is transferred to another department or is accorded a different identifying number, it is a purpose of the invention to afford means for making possible a quick change in the identification panels of a particular badge.

A more particular object of the invention is to afford a metal badge with an enamelled front surface and having panel-viewing openings therein, with provision on the rear face of the badge for removably supporting and retaining a plurality of identification panels, the numbers on which are observable through the openings in the body of the badge.

Another object of the invention is to provide a metal locating frame permanently attached to the rear face of a metal badge, permitting the front face thereof to be first coated with vitreous enamel and fired at the required high temperature, combined with a spring yieldable metal retaining plate that is removably associated with the locating frame and acts to hold the identification panels in proper cooperative relation to the openings in the body of the badge.

A further purpose of the invention is to afford a structure of simple form that is practical and economical to manufacture, and which includes a retaining plate that is easily inserted to hold the identification panels securely in position and bodiment of the invention showing the identifi cation panels in position;

Fig. 2 is a view in rear elevation of the same; I

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation similar to Fig. 2, par-- tiallylbroken away. showing the spring retaining plate disengaged from the identification panels immediately prior to removal;

Fig.4 is a rear elevation similar to Fig. 3 with the identification panels and spring retaining plate removed;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 5--5 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction indicated;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction indicated;

Fig. 7 is a perspective View of one of the identification panels, and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the spring retaining plate.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views, the invention is illustrated as embodied in a badge comprising a body portion I having panel-viewing openings 2 and 3 therein, see Fig. 4, which are somewhat smaller than the identification or number panels 4, the latter being held against the portions of the rear face of the body portion of the badge surrounding the openings 2 and 3, and the numbers or identifications on the panels being observable from the front of the badge through the openings 2 and3 respectively.

The front face I of the body portion is coated with an ornamenting material such as vitreous enamel which must be baked at a high temperature to secure it permanently on the metal body, the latter for this purpose being preferably formed of gilding metal, and the removable identification panels are secured in a locating frame that is suitably attached to the rear face of the body of the badge and arranged so as to hold the identification panels in proper position with respect to the openings 2 and 3 of the body portion I.

To accomplish this, a separate locating frame is provided as indicated at 5 and formed with a plurality of openings 6 which are of a size to receive the panels 4 in the position shown in Fig. 3 and somewhat larger than the openings in the body portion of the badge, as shown in Fig. 4. Each panel A is inserted into one of the openings 6 of the locating frame 5 and rests against the adjacent portions of the back face of the body of the badge surrounding the openings 2 or 3 so that the number or identification mark on the panel is exposed through the openings 2 and 3 of the body portion.

The locating frame may be formed of brass, steel, or any suitable metal, and is permanently attached to the body of the badge by soldering as at l or by otherwise securing it after the enamelling and baking operations of the body portion are completed, and in order to hold the identification panel removably but securely-within the locating frame, the "latter is provided-with outwardly extending parallel walls 18 at its upper and lower edges, the walls 8 terminating in flanges 9 that extend perpendicularly inwardly therefrom for a purpose that will appear presently.

The removable identification panels '4 are somewhat thicker than the locating frame 5, as shown in Fig. 6, so that when the identification panels 4 are positioned in the openings 2 and 3 of the locating frame against th rear face of the body I of the badge, they project rearwardly somewhat beyond the adjacent surface of the locating frame, and are held in place by a spring retaining plate ll that is slidable endwise between the rear faces of the identification panels and the inner surfaces of the flanges 9 at the upper and lower edges of the locating frame.

The retaining plate is preferably formed of light thin spring metal and is of generally rectangular shape to slide under the flanges 9 and between the top and bottom walls 8 when positioned against the identification panels so as to retain the latter by a slight yielding or spring action firmly against the rear surface of the body I of the badge. The retaining plate preferably comprises a body portion ll that has an elongated rectangular central opening [2 that terminates adjacent to one end of the retaining plate which is curved as at it, while the opposite end of the retaining plate is slotted at M and I5 adjacent to its side edges, the slots it and [5 being adjacent the opening l2 endwise for a portion of its length and affording a yielding spring tongue [6, while the locating frame 5 is provided at its opposite ends with outwardly extending central lugs ll of such width as to be received within the central opening l2 of the retaining plate. The lugs IT on the locating frame serve to lock the retaining plate in position for holding the identification panels, while the opening l2 and slots 14, l5 in the retaining plate impart yieldability to the portions engaging the panels and to the spring tongue It, to permit ready insertion of the retaining plate or removal when necessary for changing the identification panels, and the opening I2 by receiving one of the lugs l1 facilitates positioning the retaining plate in operative relationship. l8 designates a conventional pin hingedly attached to the rear face of the body portion of the badge for securing it to a coat lapel or the like.

To secure the identification panels in the badge, they are first inserted into the openings 6 of the locating frame 5 so that they rest against the adjacent portions of the rear surface of the body of the badge immediately surrounding openings 2 and 3, as shown in Fig. 3, with the numbers on the panels toward the front of the badge. Thereupon the retaining plate i l is inserted with its opening [2 straddling a lug ii and its curved end 13 adjacent to the ends of flanges 9. The plate II is then slid endwise until its edges engage under the flanges 9 and with one of the lugs l1 projecting through the slot l2, as shown in Fig. 3. The retaining plate is then slid along under the flanges 9 and over the adjacent surfaces of the panels 4 until it occupies the position shown in Fig. 2, in which the tongue I6 has dropped behind a lug l1 and the opposite ends of the retaining plate abut against and are held against accidental displacement by the lugs i2, the tongue l6 can be readily lifted slightly so that it will clear the lug l1 and ride thereover until the outer edge of the tongue l6 has passed entirely over lug i1 and dropped behind the same, as shown in Fig. 2, at which point the opposite curved end [3 of the spring retaining plate will have contacted the other lug H.

The identification panels are now securely held in position by the pressure of the removable spring retaining plate II, and when it is desired to replace the identification panels with panels having other numbers thereon, the tongue l6 can be lifted slightly by a finger nail or by a suitable sharp instrument while at the same time sliding the retaining plate endwise so that the tongue IE will clear the lug l1 and move thereover. This permits endwise movement of the retaining plate until its opposite edges are entirely clear of the flanges 9, whereupon the identification panels can be removed from the 10- eating frame and others substituted.

While the invention has been described with reference to the particular structure shown herein, it is not confined to the exact details illustrated, and this application is intended to cover such modifications or changes as may come within the intent of the improvements and the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A metal badge comprising a body portion having a panel-viewing opening therein, 9. rectangular metal locating frame of less dimensions than the body portion and of greater dimensions than said opening in the body portion abutting and permanently attached to the rear face of the body portion and having an openingtherein overlying and somewhat larger than said opening in the body portion, an identification panel removably positionable in said opening in the locating frame against the portions of the rear face of the body portion surrounding the opening in the latter, walls integral with and extending laterally from the top and bottom edges of said locating frame and terminating in flanges extending perpendicularly to said laterally extending walls, lugs integral with and extending laterally from the ends of the locating frame, said identification panel fitting snuglyin said opening in the locating frame and being somewhat thicker than the body of the locating frame and projecting beyond the rear surface of the latter when in position, and a spring retaining plate slidable movable endwise of the locating frame for positioning under said flanges against the identification panel with the ends of the retaining plate engaged by the aforesaid lugs.

2. A metal badge comprising a body portion having a plurality of panel-viewing openings therein, a rectangular metal locating frame of less dimensions than the body portion and of greater dimensions than said openings in the body portion abutting and permanently attached to the rear face of the body portion and having a plurality of openings therein overlying and somewhat larger than the openings in the body the top and bottom edges of said locating frame terminating in flanges extending inwardly perpendicularly to said laterally extending walls,

lugs integral with and extending laterally from the ends of the locating frame and arranged centrally with respect thereto, and a spring retaining plate having a centrally arranged longitudinally extending rectangular opening of slightly greater width than the aforesaid lugs on the locating frame and extending to a point adjacent to one end of said retaining plate, the last mentioned end of the retaining plate being curved transversely to permit insertion under said flanges and over one of said lugs and the retaining plate having Wide slots at its opposite end adjacent to its side edges and parallel to and spaced laterally from said openings so as to form a central flexible locking tongue for locking engagement with the last mentioned lug on the locating frame when the other end of the plate is in abutting relation to the other lug.

FRANCIS A. McDERMOTT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,463,739 Draper July 31, 1923 1,467,108 Hodgson Sept. 4, 1923 1,740,822 Kupfer Dec. 24, 1929 1,729,778 Hoag Oct. 1, 1929 1,824,794 Rohlfes Sept. 29, 1931 r 1,845,650 Cox Feb. 16, 1932 2,145,296 Draper et a1 Jan. 31,1939 2,360,815 Mungen Oct. 17, 1944 

